Automobile window sash lock



AUTOMOBILE WINDOW SASH LOCK Filed Sept. 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 18, 1938.

D. CHANDLER AUTOMOBILE WINDOW SASH LOCK Filed Sept. 3, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOBILE WINDOW SASH LOCK Application September 3, 1937, Serial No. 162,283

4 Claims.

My present invention relates to locks and more particularly to automobile window sash locks.

It is a well recognized fact in the manufacture of automobiles that the windows of such vehicles must be easily opened and closed with the minimum amount of effort but, at the same time, the windows must be so controlled that they may be locked and unlocked from the inside while resisting the efforts of unauthorized parties from performing the same operation from the outside, even when the window is left slightly open for the purpose of ventilation.

With these facts in mind I have invented an improved locking mechanism which operates from one lever which when in its normal position is lockedbut when moved to the right or the left will unlock and allow the window to be operated up or down as the case may be.

The principal object of my invention therefore, is an improved window lock;

Another object is an improved window lock which looks the window sash automatically in any vertical position within the range of its movement;

Still another object is an improved window sash lock which is locked in its normal position, as shown in the drawings, but which may be unlocked by moving the hand operating lever either forward or backward on the door frame, and

Still other objects and novel features comprising the construction and operation of my invention will appear as the description of the same progresses.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is an assembled side elevation of the complete window mechanism removed from the frame and casing of the window to more clearly show the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the assembled apparatus viewed from the opposite side from that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the lock, the front cover plate having been removed and certain levers being broken away for convenience;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the apparatus in an unlocked position;

Fig. 6 shows the reverse side of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4, the lock being in the same normal locked position, and

Fig. '7 is the reverse side elevation of the position of the apparatus shown in Fig. 5, the apparatus being shown in an unlocked position.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, and

particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, I0 indicates a panel of the door to which my apparatus may be attached. At II I have shown the usual glass window pane which is adapted to slide in the door frame, not shown, and adapted to open and close the door window opening I2, shown in dot-anddash lines. The position of the window pane is shown in its extreme upper position.

' Associated with my locking apparatus is a special window elevating and lowering mechanism which may be used with the present lock or with other window locking mechanisms. Likewise, the elements comprising my lock may be used with other types of elevating and lowering mechanisms, especially in installations making use of a bell-crank lever.

The installation of my apparatus is very simple, the connection to the door being made through three studs I3 which are secured to one side of the semi-circular plate I4 and mounted in the panel III.

In my preferred elevating and lowering mechanism, I have shown a bell-crank lever I5 to which is secured a shaft IS. The shaft I5 may be either secured to the lever I5 by means of a square end fitted into a square opening in the lever I5 or by welding or other means, preferably I have used a square end. In Fig. 3, I have shown a shaft I6 provided with a collar IT. The shaft I6 is journaled in the semi-circular plate I4 and being held in place against the lever I5 by means of the washer I8 and. the screw I9, it being understood that the end of the shaft surrounded by the lever I5 is square. On the other end of the shaft I6 I have provided a slot 20 within which is anchored one end of a spring 2| the other end of which is anchored around the screw 22 secured in the depending arm I la comprising a part of the semi-circular plate I4. The spring 2I acts as a counter balance for the window pane .I I. The short arm end of the bell-crank lever I5 is provided with a wide portion 23 upon which is mounted my locking mechanism to which I will refer to in detail presently.

On the bottom edge of the window pane II is mounted a conventional channel member 24. To the under side of the channel member 24 I have attached, in any suitable manner, as by welding, brackets 25. The brackets 25 are provided at their lower portions with horizontal slots 26 one end of which being enlarged, as at 21 to receive grooved stud members 28. A second bell-crank lever 29 is p-ivoted'to the'long arm end of the bellcrank lever I5 by means of one of the .studs 28 which is slidably mounted in the adjacent brack et groove 25. ,The long end of the bell-crank lever 29 is slidably connected to the other bracket 25 by means of the stud 28 which is engaged in the slot 26 in a similar manner to the engagement of the similar stud 28 in the other bracket 25. The short arm end 30 of the bell-crank lever 29 is pivoted at 33 to another lever, indicated at 3I, the opposite end of which is pivoted at 32 to the depending portion I4a of the semi-circular plate I4. The major axis of the pivot points of the long arm of the bell-crank lever I5 and the lever 3I are parallel to each other. The central pivot point of the bell-crank lever I5 around the shaft I6 and the pivoted end of the lever 3| connecting the depending member I4a are fixed with respect to the door frame, panel and semi-circular plate I4. When the bell-crank lever I5 is swung with the shaft IS the window pane II is elevated or lowered, as the case may be, and during such movement, the window pane which is wider than it is high, is supported at the two points indicated by the two pivot studs 28. With such an arrangement of bell-crank levers both ends of the window pane are acted upon with equal forces which prevent the window pane from becoming jammed in the conventional guide-ways provided for the purpose of guiding such window panes.

The bell-crank lever I 5 is actuated from a horizontal lever 34, the operating handle 35 of which is adapted to slide along the top of the window sill 35, indicated in dot-and-dash lines, in Fig. 1. The other end of the lever is pivoted at 31, in the present application, to a lever 38 which is pivoted around the shaft I6. Stop members 39 are placed in the side of the portion of the bell-crank lever I5 indicated at 23. When the lever 38 is contacted against the stop members 39, either to the right or the left, the bell-crank lever I5 with the shaft I6 pivots in the plate I4.

If the window pane elevating and lowering mechanism is used without my locking means the lever 38 may be eliminated and substituted for by an extension of the arm 23 of the bell-crank lever I5.

The locking mechanism of my invention making use of the bell-crank lever I5 and the semicircular plate I4 which are essential elements of the combination, may be associated with other types of window panes not requiring dual lifting points. In other words, the pivot stud 28 on the end of the bell-crank lever I 5 can be used directly with a slide bracket 25 where a one point contact with the window pane is sufiicient doing away with the bell-crank lever 29 and parallel lever 3|.

Assuming that either a simple bell-crank lever lift mechanism is used or a special arrangement, as shown in the drawings, my locking mechanism which I am about to describe will operate equally well.

It will be noted that the circular edge of the semi-circular plate I4 is provided with teeth 48. These teeth are formed with opposing'faces located at ninety degrees to each other. On the face of the lever member 23 above the toothed edge of the plate I4 are pivoted at 4| a plurality of dog members 42 and 43. The pivot members M are also pivoted through the cover plate 44 shown in Fig. l. The free ends of the dogs 42 and 43 are adapted to engage in the teeth 40 and are maintained in an engaged position by means of the light wire springs 45. The anchor ends of these wire springs are bent around the separator collars 46 and under the pins 41.

On the far side of the dog members 42 and 43, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, are pins 48 which are adapted to project through elongated slots 49 located in the member 23 and through cam slot openings 50 located in the lever 38. It will be noted that the slots 50 in the lever 38 are provided with opposed cam surfaces 5I adapted to contact with the pins 48. When the locking mechanism is in a normal position, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 6, the pins 48 rest in the bottom of the slots 50 and the free ends of the dogs 42 and 43 are engaged in the teeth 48. When the apparatus is in this position, it is impossible to operate the window pane II without moving the lever 38. This is true whether or not the sash is pulled up or pressed down. The dogs 42 lock against the teeth 40 when the lever I5 is pivoted in one direction, and the dogs 43 lock against the teeth 40 in the opposite direction when the lever I5 is pivoted in the opposite direction thereby locking the window pane in either direction.

When it is desired to raise or lower the window pane, the lever 34 is moved in a horizontal direction, either forward or to the rear, and being pivoted to the lever 38 pivots this lever on the shaft I6 to one side until it contacts with the stop member 39 on member 23. At this point the cam surfaces 5I in the lever 38 causes the dog members 42 and 43 to pivot upwardly disengaging the dog members from the teeth 40. At this point, due to the fact that the lever is engaged against the stop member 39, the lever I5 is pivoted with the shaft I6 in the plate I4 thereby operating the other levers and operating the window pane up or down. When the lever' 38 is reversed the dogs are again raised in the same manner and the elevating levers operate the window pane in the opposite direction.

It should be noted that the dogs 42' and 43, in the center portion of the member 23, as viewed in Fig. 4, are not engaged against the side of the tooth on the fixed member I4 with respect to the end of the dogs as is the case with the outer dogs. This clearance is intentional. Assuming that there were four right-hand or four left-hand dogs instead of two. In such case it would then be possible for each dog preceding the first outer dog to have slightly more clearance than the one preceding it and in this way the locking positions of the fixed member I4 and the lever 38 would be increased. As shown in the drawings, the two right-hand or two left-hand dogs make it possible to lock the mechanism in two positions for every tooth on the fixed member I4.

By making the dogs right-hand and left-hand, I provide a very strong lock in both directions but it should be observed that I also provide a lock in both right-hand and left-hand directions from dogs engaging one side of the teeth in the fixed 'member I4, as shown by the two center dogs on Fig. 4. When the lever 38 is in the neutral position, which is the locked position of lever I5, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the pins 48 are directly under the points of the cam slots 58. The spring 2| is anchored at one end to the fixed member I4, as shown at 22, the other end being anchored in the sloteed end of the shaft I6, The shaft I6 rotates freely in the fixed member I4 but is tightly fixed in the bell-crank lever 38 therefore the spring member 2| provides a counterbalance for the window pane I I. In this position it is impossible to lift any of the dogs without breaking the mechanism.

Taking the fixed member I4 as a basis and 7 assuming that it has a fixed number of divisions represented by the teeth 40, I have provided a given number of dogs on a moving member, the pivot center-to-center distance between the dogs being slightly more or less, as the case may be, than the distance to the center of the adjacent dog. The teeth on the fixed member l4 and the number of dogs on the moving member may vary to suit the designer.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new is:

1. An automobile door window lock comprising, a semi-circular plate fixed to the frame of said door, a plurality of teeth located on the outside curved edge of said plate, the said teeth being V shaped and having an included angle of forty-five degrees, a pawl casing pivoted to said plate, the said pivot being radially disposed with respect to said teeth, the said casing having an open lower side slidably engaged over said teeth, oppositely disposed pawls pivoted Within said casing and having right-angled free ends adapted to engage against one side of said V shaped teeth, a lever pivoted on said casing and provided with cam openings in its side, pins attached to said pawls engaging through the side of said casing in said cam openings of said lever.

2. An automobile door window lock comprising, a plate fixed to the frame of said door, said plate having a curved periphery with right-angled V teeth formed thereon, a pawl casing pivoted on said plate the bottom edge of which is slidably engaged over said teeth, a cam release lever pivoted on said casing, pawls pivoted in said casing and engaging one side of said teeth,

the pivot point of said pawls being located on a line at right-angles to the engaging side-of one of said teeth adjacent the free end of one of said pawls, pins attached to said pawls extending through openings in said casing, a pawl release lever pivoted to said casing and provided with double acting cam slots, said pawl pins being adapted to engage in said cam slots.

3. In a window lock for automobile door windows or similar disclosures, a fixed member attached to said door having a plurality of straight sided V teeth radially disposed on the edge of said fixed member, a pawl casing pivoted on said fixed member, pawls located within said casing and having pivot axes located on a line at rightangles to the contact face of said teeth when said pawls are looked, a pawl cam lever pivoted on said fixed member having double acting cam openings, connecting means connecting said pawls through said casing and engaging in said I cam openings.

-4. In a window lock for automobile door windows or similar disclosures, a fixed member located in said door, radially disposed teeth located on said fixed member, a casing pivoted on said fixed member, pawls pivoted in said casing, the free ends of said pawls being adapted to engage against one side of said teeth on a line at a right-angle to said side and extending through the pivot point of said pawls, a cam lever pivoted to said fixed member, cams located in the side of said cam lever, means for connecting said cams with said pawls.

DANIEL L. CHANDLER.

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